Rotisserie



P 1956 M. K. BOYAJIAN 2,762,293

ROTISSERIE Filed May 14., 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l p 11, 1955 M. K. BOYAJIAN 2,762,293

ROTISSERIE Filed May 14, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 11, 1956 M. K. BOYAJIAN ROTISSERIE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 14, 1953 I n. i. l a u u I u n. n. .7

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,762,293 ROTISSERIE Misak K. Boyajian, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 14, 1953, Serial No. 355,126

3 Claims. (Cl. 99-421) My invention relates to a new and useful rotisserie comprising apparatus for conveying foodstuffs, on rotating spits or skewers, past a heat medium whereby said foodstuffs, such as meat, fish and fowl, will be gradually roasted.

One of the essential objects of my invention is to provide a novel means for removably mounting the spits or skewers on rotating discs and with relation to an internal gear of a planetary gear structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for rotating the spits or skewers as a group with a main shaft which is the axis of the group of spits and simultaneously rotating the individual spits about their own axes.

Another object of this invention is to construct a rotary mechanism including a mutilated internal gear providing a passageway radially between the exterior and interior of said gear, a main shaft appropriately supported and positioned in the axial center of the said gear and having suitably apertured discs or wheels fixed thereon at opposite sides of the internal gear, and spits or skewers detachably mounted on the discs and projecting through said internal gear and having pinions fixed thereon for passage through the passageway and adapted to mesh with the internal gear teeth as said pinions move away from the passageway and to be disengaged as said pinions travel into the area of said passageway.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in apparatus of the kind described, a spit consisting of a rod, rectangular in cross section, pointed at one end with a handle on the opposite end adjacent which there is a round neck or journal and a pinion fixed on the jacent the periphery with guides associated therewith and the other disc provided with radial peripheral notches, the holes being aligned with the notches to receive and propel the spits as a group.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for rotating the main shaft to transmit motion to the spits, said rotating means being either a manual appliance or an electro-mechanical apparatus.

A further object of this invention is to provide several forms of frame or body constructions adapting the device to household, semi-enclosed and/ or outdoor use.

A still further object of this invention is to provide for supplying heat through the employment of electrical heating elements, a fuel, such as charcoal, contained in a suitable receptacle forming a part of the device or any type of combustible material, such as wood, coal, charcoal or coke, placed on the ground or in a confining vessel, located under the rotating mechanism.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in combination with the main shaft, a pair of opposed impaling forks freely slidable thereon and rotatable therewith due to the rectangular formation of said main shaft.

2,762,293 Patented Sept. 11, 1956 With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and usethe same I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one type of rotisserie constructedin accordance with my invention with parts broken away to depict details of construction and the handle ends of some of spits broken off.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with a portion of the crank end of the main shaft and parts of the legs broken away, and impaling forks shown in place. i

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the spit supporting discs or wheels, with the pointed end of spit shown in dotted lines, illustrating a detail of construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentaryvsectional view of one of the supports for the main shaft which is shown in elevation as at the left hand side of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another type of the rotisserie especially adapted for use as a household culinary utensil and illustrating an electro-mechanical operating means and the controls for a motor and electric heating elements. i

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view 'on the line 6- 6 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 is a section at the line 77 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 5. e a i Fig. 9 is a perspective view of still another type of the rotisserie adapted for use as an outdoor appliance when on picnics, outings or camping trips.

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied 10 represents a mutilated internal ring gear having a portion cut out to provide a radial passageway 11 between the circumferential exterior and the inside of said ring gear. This internal ring gear 10 is supported in a fixed upright position with the passageway 11 at the top.

A main shaft 12, preferably rectangular in cross section, has a round journal 13 at the outer or rear end and a similar neck journal 14 adjacent the inner or forward end for rotatably mounting said main shaft in suitable bearings comprised of apertured elements. The apertures can be notches, holes or a combination of the two.

The bearings are positioned relative to the internal ring gear so that when the main shaft is operatively mounted said shaft projects through the axial center of said ring gear.

On the main shaft 12 are slidably, adjustably and detachably mounted front and rear discs or wheels 15 and 16, respectively, each having a hub 17 into which a set screw 18 may be threaded to temporarily retain the discs or wheels in place. Said discs and their respective hubs have rectangular axial holes through them to fit the rectangular main shaft to prevent rotation relative to one another. Said discs are spaced apart so that they are located on opposite sides of the ring gear.

The front disc 15 has a plurality of equally spaced notches 19 opening on the periphery thereof and the rear disc 16 has an equal number of holes 20, Fig. 3; therethrough adjacent the perimeter of the disc. Preferably, there are an uneven number of notches and holes in their respective discs but the notches in the front disc are directly opposite to or in line with the holes in the rear disc. 7

A plurality of spits or skewers 21 are provided each 3 constructed from a rod, preferably rectangular in cross section, having a tapered or pointed leading end 22, round in cross section, and a handle 23 on the trailing end produced from material having heat insulating qualities.

On each spit or skewer 21 adjacent the trailing end or'hand'le is fixed a pinion 24 of a size to pass through the passageway 11 in the mutilated ring gear and also mesh'with the teeth of said gear when the spit is in operative condition in the discs or wheels. In order that the spits may freely and properly revolve in the front disc 15 each of said spits has a neck journal 25, Fig. 2, formed thereon similar to the neck journal 14 on the main shaft as illustrated in Fig. 4. The pointed end of the spit being round it can also revolve in the rear disc 16. To aid a person to insert the pointed end of a spit in a hole in the rear disc 16 an arcuate guide lip or shelf 26 is provided on the inner face of said disc 16 contiguous each hole inwardly thereof with relation to the disc perimeter so that at the time a hole is uppermost the concave surfact of its associated guide lip will be in the top position.

In the practice of my invention I first impale the articles of foodstuff to be cooked on the several spits or skewers 21 and then rotate the main shaft until the successive companion aligned notches and holes reach a position uppermost of their respective discs or wheels in a vertical plane bisecting the passageway 11. The pointed end of a spit, with the article of food thereon, is inserted in the then uppermost hole 20 and the neck journal 25 inserted in the companion notch 19. As this is done, the pinion 24 on the spit passesthrough the passageway 11 and is supported in position to mesh with the internal ring gear when the main shaft is rotated. The latter operations are repeated until all of the spits are assembled and thereafter the main shaft 12 can be continuously slowly rotated for revolving all of the spits as a group in a circle about the axis of said main shaft. Also, as the pinions engage the ring gear the several individual spits will be revolved on their own axes thus gradually presenting continuous areas of the articlesof food to heat as they are conveyed through a heating zone of sufficient intensity to cook said articles of food. When the articles of food are properly cooked the spits, with the impaled articles, are removed one at a time through the passageway 11.

An important feature of the invention resides in the use of an uneven number of spits or skewers whereby during the major portion of the course of travel of said spits, as a group, some articles of food will mostly always be underneath of other articles of food so that any grease or juice drippings falling from the upper articles of food will drop onto the lower one or ones to baste the latter.

In some instances a pan can be used to catch any drippings which fail to fall on another or other articles of food.

Another article of food may be impaled on the opposed forks 27 and 28, Fig. 2, each including a back 29 having a rectangular hole to fit the rectangular main shaft 12 and tines 30. These forks can be used in conjunction with the spits when all of the articles of food are small enough that they will not interfere with one another during rotation or said spits can be removed to make room for a large article of food to be impaled on the forks. Said forks are slidable on the main shaft whereby they may be adjusted longitudinally thereof to accommodate articles of different lengths. For extra long articles even the disc or wheel 16 can be left off of the main shaft.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a fire pot 31 mounted a. frame 32 having legs 33 for supporting the apparatus on the ground outdoors or on the floor of a pavilion, outbuilding, residence or other structure. The rotary mechanism is supported so that the forward or leading end portions of the -spits will travel into the upper part of the fire pot in the form of a receptacle capable of holding heating means, such as charcoal, placed therein as needed or desired, or electric heating units mounted on the inner surfaces of any or all of the fire pot walls.

For mounting the rotary mechanism I have shown the mutilated internal ring gear fastened to the upper portion of the forward end wall of the fire pot which forward end wall is spaced inwardly from the adjacent end of the frame 32 thereby providing a space for the trailing ends of the spits, the spit handles and the disc 15 as well as the ring gear. Said forward end wall of the fire pot is cut away at 35, Fig. 2, to accommodate the spits as they travel into said fire pot.

The ends of the main shaft 12 are rotatably mounted in appropriate bearings shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as uprights 36 at opposite ends of the frame and having open bearings in the form of notches 37 to receive the journal portions of said main shaft which, in this type, is illustrated as being manually revolvable through the medium of a crank 38.

In Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, there is illustrated a type of the device particularly useful as a household or kitchen appliance which can be placed on a stove, fireproof table or other appropriate support. Herein the fire pot 39 is illustrated as an article of kitchenware having a lid or cover 40 hinged thereto at 41 and provided with stop means 42 to hold said lid in an upright open position. The utensil may be provided with handles 43 for easy handling thereof.

The interior of the fire pot is divided into two compartments 44 and 45, Fig. 8, by a partition 46 on which is mounted the ring gear 10 said partition being cut out at 47 to accommodate the spits as they rotate in a group.

To revolve the main shaft 12 electro-mechanically I have shown a motor 48, Fig. 8, in the compartment 44 electrically connected with plugs 49 to receive a socket of a feed cord connected with a source of electric supply and controlled by a switch represented by the button 50. The shaft 51 of the motor projects through a wall of the fire pot and has a gear 52 fixed on the projecting end of said motor shaft which gear 52 meshes With another gear 53 fixed on the main shaft 12 which has a handle 54 thereon whereby said shaft and its components may readily be lifted out of place.

The bearings for the main shaft comprise notches or slots 55, one in each end wall of the fire pot and the lower ends of these notches 55 are offset to one side as at 56, Fig. 7, to assist in retaining the main shaft in place against any thrust developed by the motor gear.

Suitable electrical heating means 57, a unit of which is shown in Fig. 8, are employed for cooking the articles of food and may be located on the inside surfaces of two or more of the walls forming the compartment 45 in which the leading end portions of the spits are located. The electric heating means may, if desired, be turned on and off by a separate switch represented by the button 58 and controlled by a rheostat 59.

The structure illustrated in Fig. 9 is especially adapted for use at outdoor picnics and on camping or fishing trips because it can be dissembled and packed as a relatively small parcel for transportation purposes. The frame 60 includes end members 61, preferably of inverted U- shape formation, to which are detachably connected the spacing side members 62 while a cross piece 63 is detachably fastened at its ends to a pair of opposed side members 62. g

The mutilated ring gear 10 is attached to said cross piece 63 in such position that said cross piece will not interfere with the spits as they are revolved about the axis of the main shaft 12 which is removably set in the open bearings formed by the notches 64 in the upper portions of the ends members 61. On the rear end of said main shaft 12 is a crank 65.

With this type of device the several parts can be detached and packed so as to occupy a small space in the trunk of an automobile or the like. When the place is reached where the apparatus is to be used the parts are readily assembled and the limbs of the end members set upon the ground. Then a fire can be built upon the ground within the area of the frame, using wood, coal, coke, charcoal or other appropriate material, and the articles of food cooked as previously explained.

Since the rotary mechanism is one of the primary features of the invention many of the structural elements can be modified or interchanged. For example, a lid or cover can be provided for the type of device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the heating means may be electrical and the main shaft can be revolved manually, mechanically or electrically, or the lid can be eliminated from the type of device shown in Fig. 5.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A rotisserie comprising a supporting base, an internal ring gear formed with a cut out segment defining a through radial passageway, said ring gear being fixed in upstanding position on said base with said passageway opening upwards, a shaft journaled on said base extending axially through said ring gear, a pair of facing spaced spit supporting wheels mounted on said shaft for rotation with the latter, one of said wheels being formed with a plurality of spaced circumferentially arranged through holes and the other of said wheels being formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced peripheral notches each in alignment longitudinally of said shaft with a respective one of said holes, a plurality of spits removably disposed in parallelism with each other extending through said gear and between said wheels with spaced portions of each spit rotatably received in an aligned pair of said holes and notches, and a pinion carried on each of said spits for rotation therewith and in meshing engagement with said gear, so that said spits are revolvable with said wheels about the axis of said shaft upon rotation of the latter and each simultaneously rotated about its respective axis by its'carried pinion meshing with said gear, each of said spits and its pinion being retained in its receiving notch and hole by said ring gear except in the uppermost region of spit revolution where each of said spits and its pinion is retained by gravity in its receiving notch and hole and selectively removable generally upwards therefrom through said gear passageway.

2. A rotisserie according to claim 1, wherein said ring gear is located between said pair of spit supporting wheels and adjacent to said other of said wheels to effectively support said spits under load.

3. A rotisserie according to claim 2, in combination with a handle on each of said spits located outwards of said other wheel to facilitate manual removal of said spits.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,476,215 Pace Dec. 4, 1923 2,477,183 Humensky July 26, 1949 2,536,630 Elmer Jan. 2, 1951 2,618,730 Panken Nov. 18, 1952 2,654,307 Nisenson Oct. 6, 1953 

